Marcellus Shale

The Marcellus Shale – America’s next super giant
Down in Texas the big gas companies are talking about northeast Pennsylvania and New York as the place to be. The Catskills and the Delaware River Valley sit on top of Marcellus Shale. Marcellus Shale lies under much of northern Appalachia 6,000 to 8,000 feet below the surface; the pores in the shale contain large quantities of natural gas. The shale layer becomes thicker from west to east beginning at about 50 feet in Ohio to more than 100 feet thick in central PA and NY. Geologists have known about the gas here for years but now with the new technologies of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, recovering the gas is now the big new “Shale Play” as the industry refers to it. We are seeing the “land men” knocking on doors to obtain gas leases for various companies, with Chesapeake leading the charge in our area (mostly the Delaware River Valley in PA, Sullivan and Delaware counties). Community groups are forming on both sides of the issue from landowner associations to better negotiate a lease to groups fighting drilling altogether.

Marcellus Shale Distribution Map
Source: Appalachian Fracture Systems, Modified from U.S. Geological Survey sources
Link to picture  as it appeared in Business First of Buffalo is here: http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2008/02/11/story2.html?b=1202706000%5E1587557 What does this all mean to the average resident? It means that landowners, towns, counties and regional organizations have a very short time to come up to speed with all the issues involved with gas exploration. As a new “shale play” we don’t have a history in this particular formation but we certainly have a history with gas exploration and the complexity of the issues involved. Here are a few topics we all need to look closer at:
•    Hydraulic Fracturing:“Fracking” as it is called within the industry involves injecting water, sand and special chemicals into the shale layer at extremely high pressure. This then separates the pores in the rock and the sand particles “hold” the cracks open so the gas can flow back to the drill bore. Some of the injected fluids remain trapped underground. A number of these fluids qualify as hazardous materials and carcinogens, and are toxic enough to contaminate groundwater resources. There are cases in the U.S. where hydraulic fracturing is the suspected source of impaired or polluted drinking water. In Alabama, Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming, incidents have been recorded by people who have gas wells near their homes. They have reported changes in water quality or quantity following fracturing operations. Most of these incidences involve coal-bed methane production, which is a much shallower drilling process, but it highlights how poorly the gas companies are protecting the communities they are working in.The River Reporter in Narrowsburg, New York published on December 4, 2008 a comprehensive chart of the known chemicals in the hyrodfracking process:  Click here to read the article
Click on the graphic to see the entire chart in PDF format.

•    Regulatory Issues: After decades of deal making between government and the industry it has resulted in exemptions for the oil and gas companies from protections in the clean water act, the environmental response, compensation, and liability act (CERCLA also known as the Superfund law), the resource Conservation and recovery act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.  Also, the gas industry is not covered by public right to know provisions, which mean companies can withhold information about the chemicals they use in the “fracking” process.

•    Pollution: The pollution from oil and gas exploration and production has involved known carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, and other toxic chemicals like arsenic, hydrogen sulfide, mercury and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including benzene and xylene.
•     Fragmentation: The Catskills and adjacent lands in Pennsylvania contain some of the largest contiguous forest blocks east of the Mississippi River.  This area acts as an important species corridor between the Catskill Park, the Shawangunk Ridge, the Hudson Highlands and the Poconos. There are multiple species of either endangered or special concern and indicator species of healthy vibrant habitat found here.  The number of roads and increased heavy truck traffic and cleared swaths for pipelines to connect the drilling pads to the millennium pipeline will dissect these important forest blocks and corridor. Catskills Natural Gas Drilling Operation
•    Air and Noise Pollution: Drilling for gas is a highly industrial undertaking which includes numerous truckloads of equipment, chemicals, sand and water along with generators, pumps, drilling rigs and hoists. All of which are running at all hours of the day producing noise and exhaust fumes.  When gas is found there can be a release of the various gases in the formation.Catskills Natural Gas Drilling Operation aeriel view
•    Normally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORMS): NORMS are found in many geological formations and can be brought to the surface on drilling equipment and in fluids.  Once at the surface it can accumulate as sediments in holding tanks and ponds.  This is an issue in the Barnett Shale, which are not the same rock.  However, NORMS occur in NY at higher levels than in PA and have not been tested in the eastern part of the state.
•    Development: Increased development in other rural areas of the country where there are productive Gas fields has resulted in large influxes of industry workers which will have multiple impacts to the respective communities.
•    New York City’s Watershed: On August 6, 2008 New York City officials demanded a ban on natural gas drilling near upstate reservoirs because they fear the drilling could contaminate the city’s drinking water.
The Ashokan Reservoir is part of the city's Catskill water supply system. (Credit: Jim McKnight/AP Photo)
The Ashokan Reservoir is part of the city’s Catskill water supply system. (Credit: Jim McKnight/AP Photo)
They’ve asked the state Department of Environmental Protection to establish a one-mile protective perimeter around each of the city’s six major Catskill reservoirs and connecting infrastructure — a buffer that would put at least half a million acres off-limits to drilling. They also want to wrest more regulatory control from Albany.  New York is one of just four major cities in the United States with a special permit allowing its drinking water to go unfiltered, and that pristine water comes from a network of reservoirs and rivers in five upstate counties. If the special permit was revoked, the city would have to build a treatment facility that could cost nearly $10 billion, said Walter Mugden, a senior official at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That’s roughly what the state estimated it would earn from gas development over the next decade. In a letter (PDF) from the city Department of Environmental Protection to state officials, obtained by ProPublica, commissioner Emily Lloyd said she was not satisfied with the state’s assurances that the environment would be protected from drilling in the Marcellus Shale, a layer of rock that dives up to 9,000 feet below much of the Appalachian east, including south central New York state and the 2000-square-mile watershed.
Find out more at Propublica from Investigative Journalist Abrahm Lustgarten here
There are some excellent web sites out there covering these issues more in depth such as The Oil and Gas accountability project By Earthworks www.ogap.org. A very important document they have produced is Oil and Gas at Your Door? A landowner’s guide to oil and gas development.
Another great document put out by the Natural Resources Defense Council is: NRDC Natural Gas Drilling Fact Sheet:  Drillng Down:  Protecting Western Communities from the Health and Environmental Effects of Oil and Gas Production.  (October, 2007 PDF)
 Most of the National groups have information on this topic especially concerning public land and the Sierra Club’s Atlantic Chapter and Trout Unlimited are actively involved in the issue here in the Catskills.
There are many community groups throughout the country faced with gas drilling that have websites.  Here are two for example that offer valuable information; FWCANDO.ORG from Fort Worth Texas, which is in the Barnett shale Similar to Marcellus and Damascus Citizens for Sustainability at www.DamascusCitizens.org an organization based in Damascus PA dedicated to “preventing the dire effects of gas well drilling, such as polluted drinking water, carcinogens in the farmland and food chain, torn-up roads, risk of gas fires, plummeting real estate values, and screeching noise polution.”In the Catskills there are a number of groups that are now working on the gas drilling issue.Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy is a newly formed grassroots organization specifically focused on the gas drilling issue and keep a calendar of important events related to drilling of the Catskills.The Delaware Riverkeeper and the Hudson Riverkeeper are closely monitoring and informing the public about gas drilling and it’s potential impacts on there respective wathersheds.

**all photo’s above courtesy of the New York Times**

** The Marcellus shale maps, horizontal well art, photomicrograph and image captions below are used with permission of Geology.com. Do not reproduce, reprint or otherwise use this content without permission from Geology.com. **

map of the Marcellus Shale thickness
Thickness map of the Marcellus Shale. Modified after: United States Geological Survey, Open-File Report 2006-1237, Assessment of Appalachian Basin oil and gas resources: Devonian Shale-Middle and Upper Paleozoic Total Petroleum System, by Robert Milici and Christopher Swezey.
map of the Marcellus Shale depth
This map shows the approximate depth to the base of the Marcellus Shale. It was prepared using the map by by Robert Milici and Christopher Swezey above and plotting depth-to-Marcellus contours published by Wallace de Witt and others, 1993, United States Department of Energy Report: The Atlas of Major Appalachian Gas Plays.
horizontal well in the Marcellus Formation
Wells drilled into the Marcellus employ two technologies that are relatively new in the Appalachian Basin. One is horizontal drilling, in which a vertical well is deviated to horizontal so that it will penetrate a maximum number of vertical rock fractures. The second is “hydrofracing” in which a portion of the well is sealed off and water is pumped in to produce a pressure that is high enough to fracture the surrounding rock. The result is a highly fractured reservoir that is penetrated by a long length of well bore.
photomicrograph of the Marcellus Shale
Photomicrograph of a polished section of Marcellus Shale in reflected light. The gold particles are pyrite grains which are common in organic-rich rocks. The large brown elongated body is a compressed plant spore with a few pyrite grains in the central cavity. The remainder of the rock is a clay matrix with a heavy brown organic stain.The width of this image spans about 0.2 millimeter of the shale.

Recent technological advances have allowed access to indigenous gas resources in the shallow Marcellus Shale. The entire Marcellus Shale formation, from the West Virginia to New York’s Catskills, is estimated to contain 168 to 516 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Ten to 20 percent of this natural resource lies within New York’s borders.

Existing oil and natural gas wells by County:

  • Chautauqua – 3,891
  • Cattaraugus – 2,499
  • Allegany – 1,508
  • Erie – 1,492
  • Genesee – 637
  • Wyoming – 412
  • Steuben – 399
  • Cayuga – 304
  • Seneca – 180
  • Livingston – 167
  • Schuyler – 149
  • New York -56
  • Ontario – 55
  • Chemung – 42
  • Westchester – 32
  • Madison – 38
  • Tioga – 25
  • Yates – 18
  • Chenango – 10
  • Bronx – 9
  • Albany – 4
  • Wayne – 4
  • Essex – 3
  • Oswego – 3
  • Cortland – 2
  • Sullivan – 2
  • Broome – 1
  • Niagara – 1
  • Oneida – 1
  • Onondaga – 1
THE MILLENNIUM PIPELINE
The 182-mile Millennium Pipeline was approved late last year by federal regulators and workers have begun laying pipes.  When it’s done, the line will run from Corning in Steuben County across New York’s Southern Tier and down the western side of Sullivan and Orange counties, ending at Ramapo in Rockland County. It will replace a 10-inch pipeline owned by Columbia Gas with a 30-inch line. The project is expected to be completed late next year, when the line will begin supplying natural gas to utilities along its route.

A 12-mile section of the 30-inch natural gas pipeline is being installed from Tuxedo to Ramapo in Rockland County. Later this summer, about three miles will be installed in the Mongaup area of Sullivan County.

Millennium Pipeline is comprised of 182 miles of 30-inch diameter steel pipeline and related 15,000 horsepower compressor station capable of transporting up to 525,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas.

The balance of the pipeline will be built next year.

The pipeline will be the main outlet for all of the natural gas drilling in the Delaware River Valley and the Catskills.Millennium Phase 1 will include the 186-mile section of Millennium from Corning, N.Y., to Ramapo, N.Y. This section replaces and upgrades an existing Columbia Gas Transmission natural gas pipeline:Visit the New York State Landmarks website for an excellent photo journal of the Pipeline coming through Binghamton, New York in the Summer of 2008.  Click here to see the online gallery

Diagram of the Marc I Hub Line (Graphic: Business Wire).  The above grapic shows the various natural gas pipelines and hub lines that criss cross the Marcellus Shale formation in our area.  Click on the picture above for a larger version courtesy of Business Wire.

 

 

Other regions …Midwest – IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI
Southeast – AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN
Southwest – AR, LA, NM, OK, TX
Central – CO, IA, KS, MO, MT, NE, ND, SD, UT, WY
Western – AZ, CA, ID, NV, OR, WA

 
Other Natural Gas Transportation Topics:
Interstate – Pipeline systems that cross one or more States
Intrastate – Pipeline systems that operate only within State boundaries
Network Design - Basic concepts and parameters
Pipeline Capacity & Usage
Regulatory Authorities
Transportation, Processing, & Gathering
Transportation Corridors
Underground Natural Gas Storage 
Pipeline Development & Expansion
U.S./Canada/Mexico Import & Export LocationsNortheast Region Natural Gas Pipeline Network Natural Gas Pipelines in the Northeast

New York State State Land Oil and Gas Leasing

 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is authorized under Article 23, Title 11 of the Environmental Conservation Law to lease state lands for oil and gas exploration and development and for underground gas storage. State park lands, including the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves, lands under the waters of Lake Ontario and certain other lands are excluded from leasing. The Department is not authorized to lease lands under Lake Erie for oil development. Leasing of state lands has occurred since the 1930s.

The Division of Mineral Resources acts as the leasing agent for large tracts of state land, working with the state surface managers to identify areas suitable for leasing and to develop area-specific special conditions and stipulations to provide for exploration and development in a safe, environmentally sound manner consistent with surface management objectives. The Division also leases small tracts of state lands non-competitively when oil or gas will be drained from the lands and for gas storage. The Department does not regulate leases on private lands, but does provide information in the Landowner’s Guide to Oil and Gas Leasing brochure.

At the end of 2007, DEC administered 106 leases on 83,021 acres of state land in Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Cortland, Erie, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins Counties.

Revenue from oil and gas leases are deposited as follows:

  • General Fund for State Reforestation and Multiple Use Areas
  • Conservation Fund for Wildlife Management Areas
  • Through DEC exchange account to the appropriate other state agency

Information from the DEC website here:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/1528.html

New York State Oil and Gas, Mining And Reclamation Laws

The policy statements for the Mined Land Reclamation Law and the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Law are posted on this site. Complete text of both laws can be found at the New York State Legislation website. From this opening page select the link “Laws of New York”, then choose “ENV” for Environmental Conservation Law, then pick Article 23 or Article 71 and the relevant Title.

Article 23 – Mineral Resources

Title 1 – (23-0101 – 23-0102) Definitions
Title 3 – (23-0301 – 23-0313) General Provisions
Title 5 – (23-0501 – 23-0503) Well Permits and Well Spacing in Oil and Natural Gas Pools and Fields
Title 7 – (23-0701) Voluntary Integration and Unitization in Oil and Natural Gas Pools and Fields
Title 9 – (23-0901) Compulsory Integration and Unitization in Oil and Natural Gas Pools and Fields
Title 11 – (23-1101 – 23-1103) Leases for Production and Storage of Oil and Gas on State Lands
Title 13 – (23-1301 – 23-1307) Underground Storage of Gas
Title 17 – (23-1701 – 23-1727) Liquefied Natural And Petroleum Gas
Title 19 – (23-1901 – 23-1903) Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulation and Reclamation Fee
Title 21 – (23-2101) Interstate Compact to Conserve Oil and Gas
Title 23 – (23-2301 – 23-2311) Rerefining of Used Oil
Title 24 – (23-2401 – 23-2402) New York State Oil Energy Conservation Program
Title 27 – (23-2701 – 23-2723) New York State Mined Land Reclamation Law

Article 71 – Enforcement

Title 13 – (71-1301 – 71-1311) Enforcement of Article 23

Information Sources

 

 

 

 

News From New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

 

 

News from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

 

For more information contact: Lori Severino, 518-402-8000

 

DEC Announces Issuance of Final Scope for Marcellus Shale Study

 

ALBANY, NY (02/06/2009; 1716)(readMedia)– The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has completed its Final Scope for the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program (SGEIS). The “Scope” will serve as a roadmap for the environmental study that DEC will be conducting to analyze the environmental impacts associated with high volume hydraulic fracturing for the extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale and other low permeability gas reservoirs across the Southern Tier and into the Catskills. The Final Scope is now posted on the DEC website, at http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/45912.html.

 

“We have heard the views of literally thousands of people from across the state and these views have helped shape the study we will be doing, assuring that all aspects of Marcellus Shale gas extraction are scrutinized and addressed,” said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis. “Where environmental impacts are anticipated, we will be looking to eliminate or mitigate those impacts and to protect the environment and communities involved.”

 

The purpose of the Final Scope is to outline the topics that will be reviewed in the SGEIS. It reflects DEC staff’s review of all written comments received since October 6, 2008, when the draft scope was released, as well as the transcripts of six public scoping meetings held in the Southern Tier and Catskills between November 6 and December 4, 2008. A total of 188 verbal statements were received at the scoping meetings, and over 3,770 written statements were received via mail, email, or comment cards submitted at the meetings. Commentators included elected officials, various federal, state and local government agencies, environmental groups, industry, other organizations and individuals.

 

The SGEIS will analyze the potential impacts of shale gas development using horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing. The draft scope raised a number of issues of concern, but focused on water and wastewater management as the most critical areas for study, based on potential environmental impacts. The comments received clearly demonstrated that the public strongly shares these concerns. Commentors also called for heightened attention to issues associated with multiple wells on a single site, and these comments resulted in significant amendments to the scope. The Scoping process also resulted in the addition of the following topics:

 

  • Effectiveness of regulations in other oil and gas producing states where high-volume hydraulic fracturing of shale and other low-permeability reservoirs is used.
  • Setbacks for multi-well sites and high volume hydraulic fracturing operations from private dwellings or buildings, surface waterbodies, private water wells and springs used for domestic water supply.
  • Potential requirements for private water well sampling, testing and monitoring by gas well operators.
  • Feasibility of requiring the use of green or non-chemical fracturing technology.
  • Mechanisms to require notification, review and Department approval of re-fracturing operations.
  • Specific air quality topics.
  • Evaluation of a phased permitting alternatives.

 

 

The Final Scope also identifies “prominent issues that were raised during scoping and determined to be not relevant or not environmentally significant or that have been adequately addressed in a prior environmental review.” Though there is an existing Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) covering gas and oil drilling in New York generally, the Commissioner had determined that, because the very deep horizontal drilling will require immense volumes of water to “hydrofracture” the shale in order to release the gas, that a Supplement (SGEIS) to the GEIS was needed to address water management and other issues associated with gas extraction in deep shale layers, including the “fracing” process. “Horizontal drilling is not new; hydrofracturing is not new and drilling into the Marcellus and Utica Shales is not new,” according to the Commissioner, “but the drilling operations proposed for the western Southern Tier involve all three of these elements, greatly expanding water use and the need for clearly understood and environmentally protective practices.”

 

Now that the scoping process is complete, DEC will be undertaking the thorough environmental analysis required by the scope. A draft of the SGEIS expected in the spring, at which time the public will again be invited to comment.

 

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For Release: IMMEDIATE                                                                               Contact: Yancey Roy

 

Monday, October 6, 2008                                                                                          (518) 402-8000

 

DEC ANNOUNCES PUBLIC HEARINGS

 


PUBLIC MEETINGS SET FOR DEVELOPING SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FOR HORIZONTAL DRILLING IN THE MARCELLUS SHALE
Sessions in the Catskills and Southern Tier in November and December    As a first step in analyzing the potential environmental impacts of high-volume hydraulic fracturing of horizontal wells in New York’s natural gas-bearing Marcellus and Utica shale formations, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued a draft scoping document outlining the issues to be covered in the analysis.In the document, DEC delineates a number of factors it has proposed to be included in the analysis. The public is invited to comment on the scope at six meetings scheduled to be held throughout the Southern Tier and Catskills in November and early December, and to submit written comments.DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis pointed out that the purpose of the scoping meetings is to make certain the public has the opportunity to review issues to be included in the environmental review of proposed  horizontal drilling operations in the Marcellus and Utica formations.“This is just the first step in what will be a careful process designed to look at environmental issues unique to the high-volume hydraulic fracturing of horizontal wells in these deep rock layers,” Commissioner Grannis said.

The prospective region for the Marcellus and Utica shale formations has been roughly described as an area extending from Chautauqua County eastward to Greene, Ulster and Sullivan counties.

Although there is a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) covering gas and oil drilling in New York State generally, the State has determined that a Supplement to the GEIS is needed in order to address issues related to the large volumes of water required to “hydrofracture” the shale to release the gas. Among other topics, the draft scope proposes that the Supplement address water-management issues and the composition of drilling fluids added to the water to assist the fracturing process.

“Horizontal drilling is not new. Hydraulic fracturing is not new. And drilling into the Marcellus Shale is not new,” Commissioner Grannis said. “But the drilling operations proposed involve all three of these elements, along with greatly increased water use. This review is designed to ensure that if the drilling goes forward, it takes place in the most environmentally responsible way possible.”
(MORE)
The GEIS was issued in 1992 and it covered hydraulic fracturing, a practice that has been used for more than 50 years in New York for releasing oil and gas trapped in otherwise impermeable geological strata. At the time the GEIS was developed, most drilling operations required less than 100,000 gallons of water per well for hydraulic fracturing. Because of the depth and geologic characteristics of the Marcellus Shale, greater volumes of water are necessary to tap into the gas reserves, likely more than 1 million gallons per well.

“The other major difference,” Commissioner Grannis said, “is that we are anticipating a large demand for drilling permits in parts of the state that historically have not seen much oil and gas drilling.”

While there are about 13,000 oil and gas wells operating statewide, these tend to be clustered in Western New York and the Southern Tier.

Following the public meetings, DEC will review the comments and produce the final scope, which will outline the factors that must be included in the Supplement to the GEIS. DEC hopes to complete a draft Supplement by next spring, a process that also will provide opportunities for the public to provide input.

A schedule of the public hearings will be available on DEC’s Marcellus Shale web page (http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/46288.html) and through the Environmental Notice Bulletin. Tentatively, meetings are planned for
— Allegany (Cattaraugus County), Nov. 6.
— Bath (Steuben County), Nov. 12.
— Elmira (Chemung County), Nov. 13.
— Binghamton (Broome County), Nov. 17.
— Oneonta (Otsego County), Dec. 2.
— Loch Sheldrake (Sullivan County Community College), Dec. 4.

DEC is awaiting confirmation about times and venues with host communities; details will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.

The draft scope is available at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/47554.html. Detailed instructions for submitting written comments are included in the scope.

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Marcellus shale Web site launched by DEC
08/28/08

 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has launched a new Web page designed to provide details about drilling processes, leasing, federal and state laws, links to relevant sites, and the upcoming review of potential environmental impacts. The new page can be found at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/46288.html#Information.

 

 

 

United States Geological Survey Fact Sheet 009-03:


USGS Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the Appalachian Basin Province, 2002

 

United States Geological Survey, Open-File Report 2005-1268

:
Assessment of Undiscovered Natural Gas Resources in Devonian Black Shales, Appalachian Basin, Eastern U.S.A.

 

LATEST UPDATE:
APRIL 26, 2010: LISTEN TO THE WAMC REPORT BY GREG FRY FEATURING MOUNTAINKEEPER
DEC decision on watersheds draws criticism
ALBANY, NY (WAMC) – There are new developments in the debate over natural gas drilling in Marcellus Shale, and new regulations aimed at protecting the water supply of New York’s most populated areas. As WAMC’s Greg Fry reports, what seems like a positive step forward in the debate, is being criticized by parties on both sides of the issue…. © Copyright 2010, WAMC

BREAKING NEWS STORIES:   DEC Attempts End Run Around Natural Gas Drilling Concerns cmklogo2

DEC watershed decision a ploy?

River Reporter – Fritz Mayer – ‎Apr 29, 2010‎
Ramsay Adams, the executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, said, “There is no way to know the motivations or thinking behind the DEC’s statement; …

NYC watershed gets separate rules for drilling

Times Herald-Record – Stephen Sacco – ‎Apr 23, 2010‎
Ramsay Adams, executive director of the Catskill Mountainkeeper, an environmental group advocating for the six counties in the Catskill region, …

Groups Reject IOGANY’s Attempt to Buy off New York’s Environment

ReadMedia (press release) – ‎Apr 15, 2010‎
The responding organizations include Adirondack Mountain Club, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Common Cause New York, …

LINKS:

Mountainkeeper’s analysis on the Watershed Post here: http://www.watershedpost.com/2010/catskill-mountainkeepers-ramsay-adams-decs-friday-surprise


DEC Press Release here: http://catskillpost.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/4-23-10-marcellus-and-fad1.doc

DEC Announcement PDF here: http://catskillpost.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/4-23-10-marcellus-and-fad1.pdf

Energy Industry Sways Congress With Misleading Data

by Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica – July 8, 2009 4:55 am EDT
Abrahm Lustgarten/ProPublica
Abrahm Lustgarten/ProPublica

The two key arguments that the oil and gas industry is using to fight federal regulation of the natural gas drilling process called hydraulic fracturing — that the costs would cripple their business and that state regulations are already strong — are challenged by the same data and reports the industry is using to bolster its position.  Read the entire investigative piece here:

http://www.propublica.org/feature/energy-industry-sways-congress-with-misleading-data-708

NEWS AND RESOURCES:

Propublica, August 6, 2008: Fractured Relations—New York City Sees Drilling as Threat to Its Water Supply

The Daily Star, August 2, 2008: More Than 1,500 Sign Gas Leases

Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin, July 18, 2008:  Drilling Regulations May Be Needed, Protecting Water Quality Crucial Says Governor’s Aid

New York Times Article June 29, 2008:  Our Towns: Gas Driller in Race for Hearts and Land, by Peter Applebome

Mid-Hudson News Network:  NY, PA share common concern over gas drililng, May 22, 2008

Associated Press:  Landowners Getting Trampled in Gas Rights Rush, May 28, 2008

Shale Gas: Focus on th Marcellus Shale:  Oil & Gas Accountability Project’s latest report on the Marcellus Shale and drilling for natural gas in NY and PA.

Delaware Riverkeeper: Natural Gas Drilling and Production Fact Sheet, June, 2008

Article In The Times Herald Record: The Search for Natural Gas: Western Sullivan Might Contain Vast Reserves, April 14, 2008

Article In The New York Times:  There’s Gas in Those Hills, April 8, 2008

Article #1 In The River Reporter: A Primer on Gas Well Gold Rush: From the Marcellus Shale to Horizontal Drilling, February 28 – March 5, 2008

Article #2 In The River Reporter:  Western PA Landowners Regret Deep Gas Wells Deals:  Gasses Bubbling Out of the Ground and Into Drinking Wells and Ponds, April 10 – April 16, 2008

Editorial In The River Reporter:  “?Nor Any Drop to Drink”, April 10 – April 16, 2008

WNYC Radio: Natural Gas Could Transform Sullivan County, April 15, 2008

Elmira Star Gazette:  Owners Have Way To Fight Landmen, March 30,2008

Times Herald Record:  Drilling in Sullivan Raises Many Issues, May 9, 2008

The New York Times Magazine: Drilling for Defeat, May 18, 2008

Energy Information Administration: Natural Gas Pipelines in the Northeast Region, 2008
Landowner Option Guide:  Answers to what happens if a lease is not signed, and options
Powder River Basin Resource Council:  Committed to the preservation and enrichment of Wyoming’s agricultural heritage and rural lifestyle.  The conservation of Wyoming’s unique land, mineral, water, and clean air resources consistent with responsible use of those resources to sustain the livelihood of present and future generations.  The education and empowerment of Wyoming’s citizens to raise a coherent voice in the decisions that will impact their environment and lifestyle.
Western Colorado Congress and Grand Valley Citizen’s Alliance:  Western Colorado Congress (WCC) is a grassroots, democratic organization dedicated to challenging injustice by organizing people to increase their power over decisions that affect their lives. WCC’s community groups and members work together to create healthy, sustainable communities, social and economic justice, environmental stewardship and a truly democratic society
New York Times Article:  The Light is Green, and Yellow, on Drilling. July 27, 2008
The New York State Bill A10526 That Amends the Current State Laws That Regulate Natural Gas Drilling In The State
The bill has been signed by Governor Patterson.
Read the final Summary of the Bill A10526 that passed both the House and Senate
Read the Text of Bill A10526

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